We all know that this summer was supposed to be oh so different for
Arsenal and their fans. All that frugality was to be a thing of the
past. The stadium was completed. The debt was managed. The funds had
been released. Arsene Wenger could now compete in the market, both in
terms of wages and transfer funds. He was even quoted as saying that
the club ‘would not have a problem’ meeting Wayne Rooney’s
not-inconsiderable wage demands.
And yet, with a little over two weeks to go before Arsenal host Aston Villa in their opening fixture of the new campaign, the promised spending has failed to materialise. Ivan Gazidis was quoted by the BBC on 7th June, stating:
“This year we are beginning to see something we have been planning for some time – the escalation of our financial firepower.”
So far that ‘escalation’ has seen the arrival of Yaya Sanogo, a promising striker from second tier French football, and an awful lot of unfulfilled speculation. Big names have been linked. Names which undoubtedly matched Gazidis’ promise that Arsene “can do some things which would excite you” in the transfer market.
None of those names have subsequently been printed on the back of an Arsenal shirt, proudly held aloft as the respective player puts pen to paper… unless of course it’s a Napoli shirt.
So what’s the problem?
For many seasons, the excuse seems to have been that Arsenal were living within their means – providing a shining example of moral fortitude in an age of financial irresponsibility. They were living for tomorrow, the great promising beacon of a tomorrow where the long-term marketing deals that had secured the funding for the Emirates could be renegotiated, where the stadium debt became manageable and where Arsenal fans would finally see their best players staying at the club – not only staying but joined by the biggest names in the sport.
Nay-sayers blamed Wenger. He didn’t want to spend. He was the directors’ yes-man. Others, probably the majority, believed the vision, trusted the long-term outlook and pointed to Arsene’s remarkable success in maintaining Arsenal in Europe’s élite despite the financial prudence.
“In Arsene We Trust” they said. What now? Tomorrow has supposedly arrived. Will the unbending loyalty remain if the barren run ticks on towards a decade and there is no longer the promise of the signings arriving tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow…
Can continued inactivity be forgiven when the field is so ripe for sowing? There will never be a better opportunity for Arsenal.
Arsene is the only one of last season’s top-4 managers to remain in situ for the upcoming campaign. No-one knows how Manchester United will react to their first managerial change since 1986; nor whether Manuel Pellegrini’s more fluid, attacking approach will suit City’s players… and their egos. Speaking of egos, there’s Mourinho and Chelsea – who knows how that will turn out.
With the possibility – and I stress it is only a possibility – of disruption at the 3 clubs who finished above them last season, surely Arsenal should be looking up and targeting a real challenge for the league title this season.
Instead, continued inactivity will leave the fans nervously looking over their shoulders at their nearest and dearest. North London rivals Tottenham finished just a single point behind Arsenal last season and, although at the time of writing look to be losing talisman Gareth Bale, they have already strengthened their squad with the acquisition of all-energy Brazilian midfielder Paulinho – a player that many Gunners would have welcomed at the Emirates.
And with further moves mooted for the likes of Valencia’s Roberto Soldado (a prolific striker, know anyone who needs one of those?), Arsenal’s grip on the top four is only further weakened by a failure to similarly strengthen.
Liverpool have invested in a series of attacking options, Swansea have signed an international striker in Wilfried Bony, even Norwich have made some impressive transfer moves with Leroy Fer, Ricky van Wolfswinkel and Gary Hooper joining for significant sums of money.
I’m not suggesting that Arsene would have done well to sign any of these players but the fact remains that teams who finished as much as 29 points behind Arsenal last season, teams who did not qualify for the Champions League and teams who do not fill out a 60,000 seater stadium every week are outspending a club who have supposedly ‘escalated’ their financial firepower.
Perhaps, and personally I hope this is the case, a series of new signings will arrive. We’ve heard talk of a £50m move for Liverpool’s Luis Suarez but there was similar talk of a big-money move for Higuain which never materialised and the closer we get to the new season, not to mention August 31st, the more Arsenal fans will fear another mad-dash transfer deadline day ‘swoop’ for players that no-one else really wanted.
Big teams pay good money and get their targets early. Manchester City wasted no time in signing Jesus Navas, Alvaro Negredo, Stevan Jovetic and Fernandinho; showing none of the hesitancy of which Arsene Wenger has been accused. There has been a growing belief that Arsenal’s frugal transfer policy has had much to do with a reluctance of the coach to splash the cash – that his personal fear of making an expensive mistake and seeming obsession with driving the hardest of bargains has meant Arsenal missing out on players that would have vastly improved the squad.
Probably the most famous example of this is Juan Mata. Reports differ but there is general consensus that Mata was available from Valencia for a release clause of somewhere between £17.5-25m. Arsene, however, apparently refused to complete the deal as he was only willing to pay £15m. I would like to stress at this point that much, if not all, of this is speculatively reported and that no-one truly knows what happened.
And yet, with a little over two weeks to go before Arsenal host Aston Villa in their opening fixture of the new campaign, the promised spending has failed to materialise. Ivan Gazidis was quoted by the BBC on 7th June, stating:
“This year we are beginning to see something we have been planning for some time – the escalation of our financial firepower.”
So far that ‘escalation’ has seen the arrival of Yaya Sanogo, a promising striker from second tier French football, and an awful lot of unfulfilled speculation. Big names have been linked. Names which undoubtedly matched Gazidis’ promise that Arsene “can do some things which would excite you” in the transfer market.
None of those names have subsequently been printed on the back of an Arsenal shirt, proudly held aloft as the respective player puts pen to paper… unless of course it’s a Napoli shirt.
So what’s the problem?
For many seasons, the excuse seems to have been that Arsenal were living within their means – providing a shining example of moral fortitude in an age of financial irresponsibility. They were living for tomorrow, the great promising beacon of a tomorrow where the long-term marketing deals that had secured the funding for the Emirates could be renegotiated, where the stadium debt became manageable and where Arsenal fans would finally see their best players staying at the club – not only staying but joined by the biggest names in the sport.
Nay-sayers blamed Wenger. He didn’t want to spend. He was the directors’ yes-man. Others, probably the majority, believed the vision, trusted the long-term outlook and pointed to Arsene’s remarkable success in maintaining Arsenal in Europe’s élite despite the financial prudence.
“In Arsene We Trust” they said. What now? Tomorrow has supposedly arrived. Will the unbending loyalty remain if the barren run ticks on towards a decade and there is no longer the promise of the signings arriving tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow…
Can continued inactivity be forgiven when the field is so ripe for sowing? There will never be a better opportunity for Arsenal.
Arsene is the only one of last season’s top-4 managers to remain in situ for the upcoming campaign. No-one knows how Manchester United will react to their first managerial change since 1986; nor whether Manuel Pellegrini’s more fluid, attacking approach will suit City’s players… and their egos. Speaking of egos, there’s Mourinho and Chelsea – who knows how that will turn out.
With the possibility – and I stress it is only a possibility – of disruption at the 3 clubs who finished above them last season, surely Arsenal should be looking up and targeting a real challenge for the league title this season.
Instead, continued inactivity will leave the fans nervously looking over their shoulders at their nearest and dearest. North London rivals Tottenham finished just a single point behind Arsenal last season and, although at the time of writing look to be losing talisman Gareth Bale, they have already strengthened their squad with the acquisition of all-energy Brazilian midfielder Paulinho – a player that many Gunners would have welcomed at the Emirates.
And with further moves mooted for the likes of Valencia’s Roberto Soldado (a prolific striker, know anyone who needs one of those?), Arsenal’s grip on the top four is only further weakened by a failure to similarly strengthen.
Liverpool have invested in a series of attacking options, Swansea have signed an international striker in Wilfried Bony, even Norwich have made some impressive transfer moves with Leroy Fer, Ricky van Wolfswinkel and Gary Hooper joining for significant sums of money.
I’m not suggesting that Arsene would have done well to sign any of these players but the fact remains that teams who finished as much as 29 points behind Arsenal last season, teams who did not qualify for the Champions League and teams who do not fill out a 60,000 seater stadium every week are outspending a club who have supposedly ‘escalated’ their financial firepower.
Perhaps, and personally I hope this is the case, a series of new signings will arrive. We’ve heard talk of a £50m move for Liverpool’s Luis Suarez but there was similar talk of a big-money move for Higuain which never materialised and the closer we get to the new season, not to mention August 31st, the more Arsenal fans will fear another mad-dash transfer deadline day ‘swoop’ for players that no-one else really wanted.
Big teams pay good money and get their targets early. Manchester City wasted no time in signing Jesus Navas, Alvaro Negredo, Stevan Jovetic and Fernandinho; showing none of the hesitancy of which Arsene Wenger has been accused. There has been a growing belief that Arsenal’s frugal transfer policy has had much to do with a reluctance of the coach to splash the cash – that his personal fear of making an expensive mistake and seeming obsession with driving the hardest of bargains has meant Arsenal missing out on players that would have vastly improved the squad.
Probably the most famous example of this is Juan Mata. Reports differ but there is general consensus that Mata was available from Valencia for a release clause of somewhere between £17.5-25m. Arsene, however, apparently refused to complete the deal as he was only willing to pay £15m. I would like to stress at this point that much, if not all, of this is speculatively reported and that no-one truly knows what happened.
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